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Since the conclusion of the presidential election, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has largely avoided the political fundraising circuit. Nevertheless, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee has emerged as an almost unparalleled fundraising force, with both foes and fans minting money off the mere mention of her name.

The candidates and causes that have climbed aboard the Palin gravy train include, but aren’t limited to, abortion rights foes and supporters, environmental groups and political committees supporting both Republican and Democratic candidates. It’s a testament not only to her star power but also to the strong feelings she generates among partisans.

For the most part, Palin herself is an unwitting participant in the burgeoning business.

“The only authorized thing out there at this point is SarahPAC. And the rest are just using her name and brand to draw attention and roll in the dollars,” said Meg Stapleton, a spokeswoman for SarahPAC, the committee Palin set up in January to raise money for her political staff, travels and contributions to like-minded candidates.

Aside from an early e-mailed solicitation from the group and a Thursday anti-abortion banquet in Indiana that the PAC will pay for Palin to attend, neither the governor nor her PAC has engaged in much fundraising this year because of her attempts to focus on Alaska’s legislative session.

But that hasn’t stopped others from seeking to fill their own coffers by pillorying her in direct mail, piggybacking on her stances and symbolism, hinting she might appear at their fundraisers and sometimes even falsely implying contributions will go directly to Palin.

With some groups, it’s not entirely clear what the overarching goal is other than to tap into the Palin cash pipeline.

“Sarah Palin’s Defense Fund,” for instance, was the name of one curious entity until a sternly worded letter from a Palin lawyer instructed the site’s proprietor to “remove all references to Gov. Sarah Palin and/or her likeness from your site pending written approval.” That prompted the proprietor to replace that fund with another called “Sarah's War Chest,” which seeks contributions “to encourage her to run in the upcoming elections.”

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Last month, a different group called Americans in Contact PAC launched a high-tech, multistate campaign seeking contributions to help reelect Palin as Alaska governor in 2010, even though its own direct mail included puzzling fine print serving notice that all contributions “are only used in federal elections."

Stapleton said that Palin’s virtual absence from the fundraising scene has created a vacuum that others have used to their benefit. But she asserted that continued intense interest in the Alaska governor will enable her to be a successful fundraiser when she does hit the rubber chicken circuit, regardless of how many groups have tapped her name to raise money.

“If we find that other people have had a chance at the dollars first, that’s OK,” she said. “We’re not really concerned about diluting any message. It’s just we’re concerned about people thinking the dollars are going for her or her vision or her philosophy or values when it may just be going for a big-screen TV.”

Stapleton singled out an Americans in Contact PAC direct mailer that arrived at the Palin residence in Wasilla, Alaska.

“[Palin’s husband] Todd brought it to my house and said ‘you guys shouldn’t be doing this,’” Stapleton recalled. “And I said ‘Todd, that’s not from us.’ But it was quite tricky. And, gosh, I was fooled reading through it.”

That certainly wasn’t the intent of the mailer, said Gabriel S. Joseph III, the treasurer of Americans in Contact, which on its website lists its mission as an effort “to identify social and fiscal conservatives throughout America and engage them at the grass-roots level in the political process of elections and legislation at all levels of government.”

“This is just an independent, altruistic, committed effort to do our part to help Sarah Palin get reelected governor of Alaska. Period. End of line,” Joseph said, explaining that the PAC is paying a polling, data-mining and fundraising firm of which he is the president, ccAdvertising, to prospect for likely donors by making so-called artificial intelligence telephone calls to a database of “13 million identified conservatives from previous efforts.”

Readers' Comments (1222)

The business of politics, or how to run for office and make lots of money.

For all the complaints that Republicans have about big government and how it is such a waste of money, they seem to spend an awful lot of money on politics anyway. Well, I guess in their case it finds it's way back into their pockets. Pay to play! Just don't be stupid enought to get caught like Blago!

Palin is a very competent manager and an outstanding productive citizen with a high moral code we should all respect. This site among other pro Obama sites was violently unfair to Gov Palin.

In fact I believe that the author of this article specifically and personally owes Gov Palin a public apology when he received the stolen property of Palin and intentionally tried to exploit that criminally obtained information for his own benefit.

Mr. Vogel was told that criminal acts of hacking and trespass had caused Ms. Palin to have her private email and other information stolen and then broadcast. Mr. Vogel gleefully pawed through that personal stolen property knowing how it was criminally obtained and he took pleasure in rebroadcasting and revictimizing Ms. Palin.

Where is the apology for that scandalous unprofessional tortious and criminal action?

Let me reread this newsworthy article and see if I missed it somewhere in the fineprint.

It was an unparalled case of shameful cowardice that caused many Obama supporters in the media who engaged in misogyny to artificially prop up the affirmative action candidate while bashing the female candidate. Our gay and Jewish press had/has contempt for Christians but tried to hide their bias and treated Obama like more of a girl than the real woman.

It's not just that our homosexual and jewish press are incompetent - they proactively edit their bias into their "reporting". Our press is broken.

Vogel - you are gay - where is your story on how Palins best friend is gay and she is actually cool - whereas two-faced Obama did Robocalls to defeat gay marriage in Calfornia and is now covering his participation up. Hmmm?

In any case Palin would not have betrayed our Christian nation by saying in Turkey what Obama did:

There is of course a strategy of pre-emption afoot, with the MSM and online media such as HuffPo all going after Palin in a substained effort, as mysterious "leaks" from nobody/false rumors, persist. If Sarah Palin is so silly and irrelevant, why the obsession?

Clearly the Left noted her appeal, and are out to eliminate the threat- It's not like it's not obvious-

And liberals' double-standard sexism is appalling; she's "dumb" because she's a happy and attractive Christian, who enjoys being a mother? Real feminists need to be angry, wear combat boots, no make-up, short hair, and live alone in a studio apartment in the East Village? She's not the right kind of example because she doesn't support affirmative action... but instead went out there and just kicked butt? Sarah Palin has been highly successful in life while ignoring the left-wing feminist model... this helps to explain the extra dose of venom in the attacks.

Democrats are plenty afraid of Palin coming-back at them in 2012 with a dynamic and complementary VP like Bobby Jindal... or visa versa. And they have plenty of reason to fear her. Palin is the most popular governor in the country; her 60+% approval rating exceeds that of the MSM-pimped Obama... are all those people up there idiots? Alaska was a pretty corrupt system until she stepped in. Her reforms took on entrenched politicians (inc. Republicans), a mafioso-style union boss, and Big Oil.

Wouldn't it have been nice if Obama had been principled and brave enough to confront the corrupt Chicago Democratic Machine? Or shady political operators like Tony Rezko? Racist preachers? Instead of doing business with every last one of them?

Go get em, Sarah- and don't mind the press, nobody will be listening to them anymore after the pending Obamamania implosion.

It was an unparralled case of shameful cowardice that caused many Obama supporters in the media who engaged in misogyny to artificially prop up the affirmative action candidate. Our gay and Jewish press that has contempt for Christians treated Obama like the girl not the real woman.

It's not just that our homosexual and jewish press are incompetent - they proactively edit their bias into their "reporting". Our press is broken.

Vogel - you are gay - where is your story on how Palin's best friend is gay and she is actually cool - whereas two-faced Obama did Robocalls to defeat gay marriage in Calfornia and is now covering his participation up. Hmmm?

In any case Palin would not have betrayed our Christian nation by saying in Turkey what Obama did:

More neonut factual innacuracies.when will you people learn. I'm begining to think your unteachable........is this the kinda crap you homeschool your kids on? where did you get this from redstate? good luck in '12

ok - point out a single inaccuracy in what I said. And unlucky for you I am not conservative - I just actually extend constitutional rights and respect to ALL people unlike certain liberals who think whites and traditionalists aren't covered.

Now don't procrastinate - I will be waiting for you to back up your claim of "innacuracies"

there some arguements that are just too easy ................gay and jew media false. Liberal bias.....False.................Reality has a liberal bias conservatism and christianity aren't compatible either ........anyone claiming to be both is a FLAMING HYPOCRITE

I'll bring up another angle our unworthy press has never covered about Palin.

Palin has really reliable and proven common sense. That is something you can't acquire in a book.

The ugly trick questioning that went on to try to deliver a gotcha moment with Palin would not be seen as acceptable treatment of a black man - but who cares about dissing whitey right?

In my humble opinion, of course there were worldly matters that Palin had never been exposed to - but why? Because she was busy concentrating on the local matters that she was responsible for and had always handled very competently.

Palin had and has the right stuff that makes advanced training on a subject worthwhile.

I see Obama as a weak man who did not inherit a belief system. He didn't convert to Christianity until he was almost 30 and it was suspiciously close to him running for office when he needed to be Christian to be electable.

Christianity is not his tradition from his parents or from his childhood - he can take it or leave it - as his unfortunate behavior in turkey illustrated.

Judas President holding a seder in the white house to placate his zionist donors and his mouthy low class jewish merchant chief of staff and his oily poll driven jewish public relations hack.

Why is there another article about Sarah on Politico under the heading, "100 Day Sprint."

I guess it's another slow day in Obamaland, afterall he didn't even realize there were any tea parties going on yesterday according to ABC News.

And because there were right-wing extremists, according to the commie Napolitano, all across America, in all 57 states, gathering to protest against the government, Politico chooses some fodder about Sarah so the Obamabots can make childish statements about her all day.

truer than you have the sophistication to realize. The author of this story is gay. Turn to the mainstream media - nbc - worked very hard to elect a democrat - who is their top management? Jews. New York Times, a Jewish paper, not only tried very hard to elect a democrat - remember how they even sank to the level of publishing a false unverified hit piece on McCain accusing him of having an affair? Out of control - total embarrassment, totally unprofessional and yes it matters.